Relief and appointment ceremonies are one of the many traditions upheld in the Marine Corps today, which involves the passing of the noncommissioned officer sword from the outgoing sergeant major to the incoming.

The passing of the sword signifies the transfer of responsibilities and accountability from one senior enlisted Marine to another.

“Sergeant Maj. Reginald Robinson is the right man for the job,” said Sgt. Maj. James Cully, a native of Athens, Ill. “He’s coming in motivated and jumping in with both feet. He is very qualified for the job and will do great things for the regiment.”

During his 20 years in the Marine Corps, Robinson developed a wealth of knowledge to prepare himself for taking such a prestigious position. Having previously served as a company drill master with 8th and I and as the sergeant major of Marine Air Squadron 2, Marine Air Support Control Group-18, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, Okinawa, Japan, he sees discipline as an important requirement to upholding the reputation of the regiment.

Robinson said Cully has done an excellent job of getting the Marines ready for combat and is excited and honored to have this opportunity. He said he plans to keep the Marines of the regiment highly disciplined, proficient and ready to accomplish the mission of the Marine Corps.

“I’m ready to give the regiment 100 percent, all the time,” said Robinson. “We are going to take care of our Marines and continue to focus on preparing them.”

During his two years with the regiment, Cully helped prepare Marines with 1st Battalion, 1st Marines for their deployment to Afghanistan in 2012 and 1st Battalion, 4th Marines’ deployment on the 31st Marine expeditionary unit to Okinawa, Japan, the same year. He spoke highly of his Marines, believing they would not disappoint their new sergeant major.

“The Marines are sharp and top notch,” Cully said. “The high point of being with the regiment was seeing the Marines grow in knowledge and leadership. They care about their job, they want to do great things and they are here to serve. Robinson will be proud of these Marines.”

Robinson is scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan with the regiment as part of task force Belleau Wood. He looks forward to being able to lead the regiment on the final deployment to Afghanistan.